How Bill Belichick’s Secret Influence Shaped North Carolina’s Surprising ‘Hard Knocks’ Choice

You ever notice how the most unexpected folks sometimes steer the biggest ship? Bill Belichick, a titan of the football world, now finds his North Carolina rebuild tangled up in more than just X’s and O’s — enter Jordon Hudson, his 24-year-old girlfriend, who’s stirred up a storm worthy of its own halftime show. What started as whispered gossip quickly morphed into full-blown scrutiny after Hudson seemingly took center stage during a CBS interview, not exactly playing the background role one might expect. But here’s the kicker: her influence reportedly went beyond the sidelines, even halting NFL Films’ Hard Knocks project featuring UNC — a move that reportedly dashed a $200,000 cash boost and priceless exposure for the program. Is this a case of overreach or just a fresh shake-up in a traditionally buttoned-up world? Whatever the truth, it’s clear Hudson’s newfound role has many scratching their heads and questioning just who really pulls the strings behind the scenes. Curious yet? LEARN MORE.

What was first a source of gossip and then a source of fun interest has now reached a level of pretty serious scrutiny around North Carolina head coach Bill Belichick’s girlfriend, Jordon Hudson.

This past weekend Hudson was roundly criticized for some of her actions in an interview between Belichick and CBS. She could be heard saying that Belichick wouldn’t be talking about how their relationship started, and apparently interrupted the interview multiple times.

The more people have dug into Hudson’s role at North Carolina, the more they’ve uncovered. A new report from The Athletic revealed that Hudson “played an instrumental role” in stopping the production of NFL Films’ Hard Knocks with UNC.

“Jordon Hudson, Belichick’s girlfriend, played an instrumental role in stopping the production, related to her request to be heavily involved in the project, according to multiple industry sources briefed on the negotiations…” the outlet reported.

“According to documents obtained Tuesday by The Athletic, NFL Films was scheduled to begin filming March 1 as part of a two-month stint on campus that would delve behind the scenes into the six-time Super Bowl-winning head coach’s first UNC team.

“Instead, on March 3, Jessica Boddy — the NFL’s vice president for commercial operations and business affairs — sent an email to North Carolina’s counsel confirming that showmakers ‘will not proceed with the production of the Belichick project.’”

North Carolina’s football program and coach Bill Belichick were expected to be featured this season on “Hard Knocks.”

But the deal fell apart just before a public announcement was to be made.

Why the negotiations took a turn and how Belichick's girlfriend was involved ⤵️

— The Athletic (@TheAthletic) April 30, 2025

Worse still, the Hard Knocks project being canceled reportedly went against what Belichick wanted. Per the report, NFL Films would have given the North Carolina football program a $200,000 cash injection, not to mention a high amount of priceless exposure.

NFL fans are already criticizing Hudson, declaring that she’s becoming a negative impact on both Belichick and the football program.

“She’s going to mess up a lot of opportunities for a lot of ppl,” one user remarked.

“Girlfriends meddling in professional work? Jordon Hudson’s involvement in Belichick’s UNC gig is a disaster waiting to happen. Keep personal out of business—Hard Knocks saw the red flag and bolted,” another suggested.

“Never thought anyone would surpass Brittany Mahomes’ in the unlikable category but my god BB’s lady has taken the mantle and run with it,” wrote a third.

It’s not our business to judge the personal relationship between Belichick and Hudson, but when a relative newcomer to the business side of sports reportedly starts making these kinds of decisions, you can probably understand why it piques interest.

Related: Bill Belichick’s Girlfriend Posts 5-Word Message After Viral Interview